HICKORY VETERINARY HOSPITAL

We took out cat to Hickory on Sunday December 12th. He was lethargic not eating well and having animals for 45 years I knew something wasn't right. They advised us to leave him in the hospital for several days wanting to do x-rays, blood work and an ultrasound. We were given an initial estimate between $3,500.00 - $4,500.00 which I thought was for up to 5 days, they insist 2-3 days. They performed all the tests and told us the cat was diabetic and his pancreases and liver would heal and but they respond to the insulin well in usually 3-5 days. We received updates from the vet on 5 of the 7 days he was there and they led us to believe that with proper care this was a manageable condition. Upon bringing the cat home a week later upon check out we were presented with a bill that was much higher than we expected, $6,450.00. After the cat got home he was not responding well to the insulin and treatment plan we were given. I contacted Hickory 24 hours later and the tech who answered the phone said she would try to get the vet to advise us if we should increase his insulin dosage. We never got a call back as it was midnight so the next morning we took him to our local vet who after seeing their tests and bloodwork performed became very concerned. She repeated the same bloodwork and performed two others. At the conclusion we were given a grim assessment on the cats condition during our 2 hour visit. Not only was he diabetic but he had a failing liver and pancreatitis which you can't treat the liver and pancreatitis because of the diabetes. A fact Hickory left out. Two vets there both recommended euthanasia. That was very upsetting since we were given a different prognosis at Hickory. They made this conclusion in a 2 hour visit but Hickory didn't during a one week stay. We were asked if they talked to us about euthanasia which was never mentioned. Hickory should have reached the same conclusion two other vets reached in hours, they had the cat in there presence for a week but didn't. I would avoid.

I used them from the end of March to the beginning of April. They saved my pet's life, a couple of times. They're really good. I use to go to another pet hospital. I believe that when you take your pet to their emergency, they have Doctors there, but they have residences or something that's in training. They're not full fledged vets yet. I think because of their advice and their treatment of my cat; they sent my cat home early and my cat died. I was advised by a commercial veterinary hospital that's close to me, that if I have an emergency to take them to Hickory because they have full fledge veterinary Doctors and they had specialists there. They would be seen by experienced Doctor, it wouldn't be a resident or Doctor in training. So, when I have an emergency, I take them there. I think they're good and up with the latest techniques. They are terribly expensive. They are ridiculously expensive than a lot of other places. That's why the bill was so high. If you don't have all the money to pay for your pet's treatment or all of the money to take care of your pet's treatment, they offer you care credit. This credit company is a bank. They'll pay the veterinarian hospital, and you pay them back. They give you six months to pay off the balance with no interest at all. I had to use it a couple of times because the bill was more than the money I had. I think the Doctor is excellent.I think that's an excellent veterinary hospital. I think their prices are so high because of what they do. Overall, I know they know what they're doing, they do help, they're very expensive. They do put pressure on me. They did a surgery that would make the cost go up and the long term results weren't guaranteed and I didn't appreciate that pressure that they put on me for that. They can help you get through a crisis with your animal. They have the option where you don't have to pay for six months, well you gotta pay something you can pay it off in six months without any interest.

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I stopped using this vet after many years of loyal patronage. They have gone from a small, solid practice to a large, highly impersonal facility. Their invoices often contain surprises and sadly, they misdiagnosed my dogs on two occasions. They have a lot of U. Penn docs on staff, but you "get who you get" in a frantic, impersonal environment.

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They are great.

They have a separate building where they kennel pets. It's really clean. The staff is very caring too. They do grooming too. They don't charge extra for giving medication or feeding your animal. They don't charge extra for having a playtime. My dog has never come home with any issues. When I dropped him off, I told the person in charge what his special needs were. They actually came out to get him and I had to re-explain all things.

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Excellent!! After I cried over the emergency surgery needed to repair my dog's knee, and over the price, Hickory worked with me to get a payment plan in place which I can just about manage and still eat every day. I called two other facilities and three friends in the business and they seem to all be around the same price range, unfortunately. The surgery was completely successful and my pup is walking much better and healed beautifully. All staff was very understanding and patient with me through numerous meltdowns! Very compassionate and caring people.

They're excellent. She's good on animals with unusual problems. The surgery that she performed on my cat had never been done but had been done on one or two dogs. She saved her and made her a new connection between her jaws, that she can open her mouth again. I highly recommend them. They're really good with dogs and cats that have rare diseases. She just never gave up on her. She was very good.

Great experience. My dog was taken back minutes after arriving. I was also told that someone is always there, and they have every kind of specialist you can think of. Office visit would have only cost me $60, but I opted for blood tests also, as well as flea and heartworm treatments. The vet told me flat out that the tests would run about $150, and they were probably unnecessary, but I'm glad she gave me the option, and I had them done anyway just to be safe. Overall, they might be a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for, and I want the best when it comes to my best friend. (Not to mention they are actually a lot cheaper than many of the other reputable vets in the area.) So I was very satisfied with my experience there. I also returned a couple weeks later. The day after I had my dog spayed (at another animal hospital), I thought she might have torn the sutures out, so I called Hickory when I couldn't get a hold of the vet that did her surgery. They told me I could bring her up right then, and when I got there, the vet and the surgeon took a look at her, told me it looked pretty normal, that they could admit her for an $150 emergency fee, but that it was probably unnecessary and that I would probably be fine just taking her back to the other vet the next morning...so they basically saved me $150, while putting my mind at ease, checking my dog, and offering advice, all at no cost. I can't say enough good things about Hickory.

They were very caring and took care of the issue very quickly. All of the staff are professional and so nice. The follow up was just wonderful. I would highly recommend them and I am switching to them for my primary vet. They even gave me a tour of the facility and it was spotless.

Dr. Brown was wonderful. She went above and beyond providing care for our dogs. The receptionists, technicians and other vetrinarians treated us with respect and most importantly treated our dogs with loving care. Having access to specialists and the newest technology helped us diagnose and then set the best course of treatment for Max and Merlin. I would definately go back there when I needed a specialist for any of my animals.

My dog died while under their care, and lived critically ill for several months needlessly. If they didn't know what was wrong with my pet, do the tests to find out. We spend alot of money for our pets, so money was not an issue. Even if we were not able to afford expensive treatment, there was no excuse for having my beagle suffer for months with cancer.

It's a good place and we've always had good luck there. They have always treated the animals very well.

My dog pulled on a tablecloth (we think) and brought some of the items down from the table to chew while we were out. My husband's pill box was among the items, and when we came home (1-1/2 hours after leaving) we found that the pil box had been opened and that all but 2 pills were gone. The pills that were missing were Vicodin, which have acetomitiphine in them, which can kill dogs. We called poison control, who gave us 3 options; those options all pointed toward getting our dog into an animal hospital ASAP. Hickory got us right in, took care of Monty and kept us informed every step of the way. The doctor on staff called us to give us status reports on a regular basis, and when we picked him up, he was in fine shape (considering).

I have used them for three years. They killed my dog. They misdiagnosed and gave wrong medication to my dog.

Very incompetent, if they can't find a sarcoma on a chest wall while doing an ultrasound of the heart.

Our cat has been having nosebleeds off and on for almost a year, which our regular vet didn't seem able to diagnose (and told us we might have to learn to live with). I decided on a second opinion, and the staff at Hickory got me in to see a surgeon in a matter of a few days. He took his time reviewing symptoms and made several suggestions as to what could be causing the bleeding, and with 1 test was able to tell me the cat had high blood pressure. Luckily meds for the blood pressure seem to be working, but he still had other things on the list he would have been able to look at. Hickory was able to schedule my follow up visit for the day after I called.

This is a dangerous place to leave a pet!!! This was by far the worst experience that we have ever had with a pet care facility - vet, groomer, or kennel. It also was the most expensive with nickle and dime extras adding up to over $100/day.

Our 14 week old puppy suffered a cardiac arrest during her spay surgery (performed at a facility in NJ). She was transferred to a veterinary hospital ER where she stayed overnight. In the morning she was stabilized and per her neurological consult needed supportive care with IV therapy because she was not taking food/water by mouth yet. She also needed to be on 24 hour monitoring to check temperature, heart rate, and other vitals. She was suffering from neurological deficits and needed a few days for observation and healing and if she stayed at the veterinary hospital ER the bill would have been over $4000 for supportive care. We had already spent $800 for the ER stay so it was advised to us to call around to private vet hospitals and see if they could give us a lower price estimate. They gave us 3 recommendations, the first being Hickory Veterinary Hospital. I called all 3 places and only Hickory was able to give me an estimate range. But that wasn't the only difference that set Hickory apart. They were extremely professional in answering questions and very sympathetic to our situation. The choice was easy to make and felt right. When we arrived, the front desk had our information and we were seen immediately. The doctors and staff were all very helpful and demonstrated a real sense of caring for both the animals and the owners. We planned for her to stay for 3-5 days. There is always a vet on duty 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Plus, they have specialists there, including a neurologist, which gave us the option for future consultations to assess her progress. She was admitted on Friday and left late Sunday night. We were able to visit whenever we wanted, although they prefer evening visitations due to having a busy clinic during the day. When we called in to check on her progress the vet on duty would always call back within a few hours. During a very stressful time, Hickory gave us peace of mind and helped us get our puppy back on the road to recovery. We liked them so much we transferred her care to them permanently even though we live in Philadelphia. They are that good and worth the drive. If you want your pet to receive the best care, from the science to the spirit, then Hickory Veterinary Hospital is your place.

All the doctors have been extremely helpful and friendly. My overall experience with this clinic has been very good. I have been taking my cat to this clinic for over 6 years.

He is excellent and very thorough. He is very caring and takes time with me and my dogs. He is professional and knowledgeable. The office staff is helpful and polite. I would highly recommend him.

Because the Sunday crush kept me sitting in the waiting room for 1/2 hr past my appointment time, they cut me a deal on the urinalysis, which I appreciated. I assigned them a B for price even so only because, is any health care as cheap as we'd like? No. Indeed, most places, on a Sunday, I would've had to go to an emergency vet and pay much more. The vet was very patient and kind with my dog, and was comfortable with my level of physiological knowledge, while at the same time remaining confident of her own diagnostic process.